Engine.



No. 727,562. PATENTED MAY 12, 1903.

E. H. AMET.

ENGINE.

APPLICIATION FILED JUNE 11, 1902.

no MODEL. F. l 1 g JV M llnirn STATES Patented May 12, 190$.

PATENT OFFICE.

EDI/VARD II. AMET, OF VVAUKEGAN, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO AME'I ENGINECOMPANY, OF WAUKEGAN, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 727,562, dated May 12,1903.

Application filed June 11, 1902. Serial No. 111,097. (No model.)

T at whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, EDWARD I-I. AMET, a citizen of the United States,residing in WVaukegan, in the county of Lake and State of Illinois, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Engines, of which the followingis a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in engines, and more particularlyto improve- :0 ments in caloric or hot-air engines or engines having acylinder, a heater at one end of the cylinder, a working piston in thecooler end of the cylinder, a'nd'a transfer-piston in the hot end of thecylinder. I-Ieretofore in ent 5 gines of this class the transfer-pistonhas been mechanically connected to and driven from the crank-shaft orother moving part operated by the working piston, and such engines haveheretofore been somewhat complicated and expensive in construction andof limited efficiency in operation in respect to energy and powerproduced from the fuel consumed.

The object of my invention is to simplify the construction andmaterially lessen the cost of the engine, while at the same time greatlyincreasing its efficiency. I have discovered that by combining with thecylinder, its heater at one end thereof, and the working piston a freeor independent transfer-piston (one having no mechanical connectionwhatever with the working piston, its crank-shaft, or any part connectedto or driven from it) the efiiciency of the engine, the power or energyproduced by it from the fuel con- 3 5 sumed, is wonderfully increased,while at the same time, of course, the engine is greatly simplified inconstruction and its cost of manufacture materially diminished. Thefree, independent, or disconnected transfer-piston is balanced, orrather overbalanced, to cause it to return to the upper limit of itsstroke when the engine is at rest by a spring or its equivalent, andwhen the fly-wheel is turned or the engine started in either directionthe transfer-piston automatically moves in proper unison or time withthe working piston, and it automatically adjusts or adapts its movementalso to the load upon the engine or work being done by it as the samemay be from time to time varied, so that, surprising as it may seem, theengine is absolutely self-governing. By increasing or diminishing thetension of the spring the stroke of the transfer-piston may be madeshorter or longer and the speed of the engine increased or diminished.The engine is also preferably provided with a water-supply tank and apipe leading therefrom to the cylinder at a point intermediate of thestroke of the working piston, so that water or other fluid may be fedinto the cylinder. This also materially increases the efficiency orpower of the engine.

My invention also consists in the novel construction of parts anddevices and in the novel combinations of parts and devices herein shownor described.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,Figure 1 is a central vertical section of an engine embodying myinvention. Fig. 2 is a plan View looking from the line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

In the drawings, Arepresents the frame.

B is the cylinder. 0 is a heater at the upper end thereof, the samebeing ofany suitable construction and using'any suitable kind offuelliquid, gaseous, or solid. As illustrated in the drawings, theheater has a grate O and is designed for burning coal, charcoal, orother solid fuel.

D is the power or working piston recipro- 8o eating in the lower orcooler end of the cylinder, and F is a free or independenttransferpiston reciprocating in the upper or hot end of the cylinder.The power piston D fits closely in the cylinder, being furnished withthe customary packing-rings d.

G is the main crank or power shaft, driven from the working piston Dthrough the connecting-pitman d, the same being furnished with afiy-wheel G. 0

connected to the free transfer-piston in any suitable way, directly orindirectly; but it is most conveniently done by providing the zootransfer-piston with a stem f, which extends through the working pistonand is provided with an antifriction-roller f at its lower end,

1 which rests on agrooved horizontal arm f of a bent lever F to theother arm of which the spring F is connected. To adjust the tension ofthe spring, its outer end, instead of being connected directly to theframe, is attached to an adjusting-lever F which is furnished with anadjusting screw F II is a Water-supply tank having a small water-feedpipe h leading into the cylinder B at a point intermediate of the strokeof the working piston D. The guide-groove of arm f in the bent lever Fkeeps the roller of the piston stem f in place on the lever. The heater0 has an ash-box 0 below the grate and a flue C To give a neater finish,the lower portion of the cylinder B may be inclosed in a case M.

K is a cock closing a pipe or orifice K, leading into the cylinder B, byturning or opening which cock the engine may be stopped. The water-feedpipe h has a small opening 72, at its lower end for the admission ofwater from the tank H and a small opening 71, above the same foradmission of oil or lubricant, which may also be placed in the tank Hand by which the working piston D is automatically lubricated.

In operation the engine works without visible exhaust and without noise.Whatever water or liquid may be sucked or drawn into the cylinder B onthe upstroke of the transfer-piston through the feed-pipe his convertedinto steam and forced to the hot end of the cylinder on the downstrokoof the transferpiston, thus increasing the expansive action and theeffective power-stroke of the working piston. Other fluids than air orwater may be used as the expansive fiuid.

To start the engine, the upper end of the cylinder being heated, allthat is required is to give the fly-wheel or crank-shaft a partial turnand the engine at once begins to operate, the free transfer-pistonautomatically going into phase or properly timing its movement with thatof the powerpiston. The transferpiston fits loosely in the cylinder B,leaving a thin annular space around the same for the passage of theexpansive fluid from the cold to the hot end of the cylinder and fromthe hot to the cold end of the cylinder. Whatever fluid in liquid orother form is drawn into the cylinder 13 through the pipe h is returnedto the tank II, after being again condensed, through said pipe, and thepipe is furnished with no valve whatever, and there is no valve to thecylinder, the engine being entirely valveless.

A loop or strap), embracing the horizontal arm f of the bent lever Fkeeps the rollerf on the piston-stem f in contact with the lever F Thereason or theory of the successful operation of my engine, wherein thetransferpiston is free and independent of the working piston and has nomechanical connection therewitl1,1nay be explained as follows: WVhen instarting the engine the fiy-wheel is given a turn or partial turn byhand and the working piston is thus, for example, caused to make itsinitial downstroke, the transfer-piston, which at this time is heldcounterbalanced by the spring at or near the upper or hot end of thecylinder, is likewise caused to begin moving downwardly by the suctionor reduction of pressure on its lower end produced by the downwardmovement of the working piston,which movement of the transfer-piston iscontinued and accelerated by the colder air flowing to the upper or hotend of the cylinder and there becoming heated and expanding, theexpansion of the air in the hot end of the cylinder and of further airflowing to the hot end of the cylinder as the transfer-piston continuesits downward movement forcing the working piston to the lower limit ofits stroke. The counterbalance or spring then tends to return thetransfer-piston to the upper end of the cylinder, and the momentumacquired by the working piston and fly-wheel carries back the workingpiston, and the stroke of both pistons is repeated again and againcontinuously. As the transfer-piston is entirely free and independent ofthe working piston and has no direct or mechanical connection therewith,it is free to accommodate or time its stroke properly and automaticallywith that of the working piston or go automatically into phasetherewith, and it consequently exerts no retarding or checking effect.upon the engines, and it is to this, in part, that I ascribe theincreased power and efficiency of my engine over other hot-air enginesheretofore in use.

I claim- 1. In an engine, the combination with a cylinder, of a heaterat one end of the cylinder, a working piston and a free or independenttransfer-piston, substantially as specified.

2. In an engine, the combination with a cylinder, of a heater at one endof the cylinder, a working piston, a free or independenttransfer-piston,and a counterbalance to cause the transfer-piston tonormally return to the heated end of the cylinder, substantially asspecified.

8. In an engine, the combination with a cylinder, of a heater at one endof the cylinder, a working piston, a free or independenttransfer-piston, and a spring connected to the transfer-cylinder andcausing it to return to the heated end of the cylinder, substantially asspecified.

4:. In an engine, the combination with a cylinder, of a heater at oneend of the cylinder, a Working piston, a free or independenttransfer-piston, a tank and a fluid-feed pipe I leading to the cylinderintermediate of the stroke of the working piston, said feed-pipe havingin said tank a water-inlet and an oilinlet above the water-inlet,substantially as specified.

6. In an engine, the combination with a cylinder, of a heater at one endof the cylinder, a working piston, a free or independent transferpiston,and a counterbalance to cause the transfer-piston to normally return tothe heated end of the cylinder, the cylinder having a cock for stoppingthe engine, substantially as specified.

7. In an engine, the combination with a cylinder heated at one end, of aworking piston and a free or independent transfer-piston having nomechanical connection with the moving parts operated by said workingpiston, substantially as specified.

8. In a hot-air engine, the combination with a cylinder, of a workingpiston, and a free, spring-actuated, transfer-piston, substantially asspecified.

9. In a hotair engine, the combination with a cylinder of anoverbalanced free. or independent transfer piston automaticallymaintaining its position in the hot end of said cylinder when the engineis at rest and when the engine is started automatically timing itsmovement with the working piston, substantially as specified.

10. In a hot-air engine, the combination with a cylinder heated at oneend, of a working piston and a free or independent transfer-pistonoperating to automatically return to the hot end of the cylinder whenthe engine is at rest and to move in unison or in proper time with theworking piston when the engine is started, substantially as speci fied.

11. In a hot'air engine, the combination with a cylinder heated at oneend, of a working piston and a free or independent transfer-pistonoperating to automatically return to the hot end of the cylinder whenthe engine is at rest and to move in unison or in proper time with theworking piston when the engine is started, and a water-inlet to saidcylinder, substantially as specified.

12. In a hot-air engine, the combination with a cylinder heated at oneend, of a working piston and a free or independent transfer-pistonoperating to automatically return to the hot end of the cylinder whenthe engine is at rest and to move in unison or in proper time with theworking piston when the engine is started, and a cock for stopping theengine, substantially as specified.

13. In a hot-air engine, the combination with a cylinder heated at oneend, of a working piston and a free or independent transfer-pistonoperating to automatically return to the hot end of the cylinder whenthe engine is at rest and to move in unison or in proper time with theworking piston when the engine is started, a liquid-supply tank, afeed-pipe leading therefrom to the cylinder, substantially as specified.

14:. In a hot-air engine, the combination with a cylinder heated at oneend, of a working piston and a free or independent transfer-pistonoperating to automatically return to the hot end of the cylinder whenthe engine is at rest and to move in unison or in proper time with theworking piston when the engine is started, a liquid-supply tank, afeed-pipe leading therefrom to the cylinder, said feed-pipe having aninlet for oil orlubricant, substantially as specified.

EDWARD H. AMET.

Witnesses:

H. M. MUNDAY, L. LINDAUER.

